First, thank you for joining the NYU Badminton Club yesterday. The following questions seemed to be the ones most raised from our members during the first meeting, and I'd try my best to address them here.
How to hold or handle a badminton racquet?
I would actually say, don't worry about it for now. I will show you all individually next week. To me, footwork is much more important than anything else as a beginner. The reason is simple: if you don't have good mobility, it won't matter how well you control the racquet. How can you catch the shuttle if you are not in the right position? Therefore, you should concentrate on the basics of court movement first.
Footwork & Movement
Please see the diagram above. You don't need a racquet for the following practice. Starting from the center and in the ready position, move to the four corners of the court in succession, returning to the center position after getting to each. Pivot and reach with your dominant arm and leg, and shuffle using a step-close-stepping action with your feet. Cross over only on your backhand side, not your forehand side.
Week 1 Footwork & Movement PDF is available here.
And Footwork & Movement Vdieo too
Where can I get a good racquet?
If you are a beginner or intermediate player, you can go to Paragon Sports. The address is 867 Broadway, New York, NY 10003. It is near Barnes and Noble in Union Square. You should be able to get a racquet for 40 bucks. They carry many different sportwaers too. However, if you are in the team or you are a professional player, I suggest you go to to NYC Badminton Club for all your purchase of equipments, especially for those who need their racquet to be restrung.
I noticed that some of our members do not put on an extra layer of grip on their racquets. It is always a good idea to do so because not only does it give you better control of your racquet, it also prevents your skin from getting hurt from frequent scrapping against the original grip that might be too rigid or hard. Personally, I prefer towel grip, but that requires frequent replacement.
